Founded in 1948, the Cesena Agricultural Cooperative CAC celebrated its 75th anniversary on Sunday, May 7, 2023, with its annual financial statement meeting. The event was held at the Cesena Fairgrounds. During the morning, members approved the best budget ever, which exceeded that of 2021: 47.48 million euros in sales (+9 percent), 1.7 million euros in profits, and 29.7 million euros in payouts to Member Farmers (+12.45 percent).
The results, presented by the CAC administration and finance manager Davide Crociati, were important, especially in light of the increase in raw material and energy costs incurred in 2022.
President Giovanni Piersanti
In his speech, President Giovanni Piersanti recalled President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella's visit to the Macfrut preview in Cesena: " It was moving to hear the president talk about agriculture visit our stand. He went on to emphasize the strength of CAC: "In addition to ending the year on a positive note, the Cooperative remains a benchmark for the industry, even in difficult times. The proof of this success is the trust recognized by customers. In order to continue being competitive, we need to raise the level of technical expertise and keep training the staff, members, and directors in order to better manage the cooperative."
Regarding the recently completed term of the Board of Directors, Piersanti summarized the challenges of the past few years as follows: "It has been an intense three years. As a Board of Directors, we have been faced with significant strategic choices and investment policies in order to remain in a highly internationalized market that is bent on innovation. These were the elements that allowed, and continue to allow us, to create value."
"The excellent achievements of these years," points out Luigi Gianoglio, sales manager, "have strengthened the partnership with our customers. The areas in production show significant growth, which is a not-quite-expected result in the face of the price increases demanded from customers. The most significant development can be seen, including future trends, in sunflower, soybean, and coriander crops, which will exceed 6,000 hectares of multiplication in 2023. The cooperative has always aimed to meet the needs of its customers, so it is necessary to be ready to seize the opportunities that the market presents."
In the face of these commercial forecasts, a major reorganization of the entire plant was assessed. "We have put in place a work plan," explains Franco Baldisserri, production manager, "that envisages investments of more than 18 million euros to be carried out in the period 2023-2026. The investments include the construction of a new 7,500-square-meter building for logistics and a new seed pickup, pre-cleaning, selection, and storage facility. These expansions will enable further optimization of the entire production process and the employment of new workers.
"Today's meeting,' concluded President Piersanti as he greeted members at the luncheon, 'happened in the year when CAC turned 75 years old. When democracy was emerging in Italy, some farmers joined forces to have more power in dealing with problems founding the first unit of the Cooperative. We must all work as a team with that spirit. Because it is the group that makes the difference."
For more information:
C.A.C. – Cooperativa Agricola Cesenate
Via Calcinaro, 1450
47521 Martorano di Cesena (FC)
Tel.: +39 0547 643511
cac@cacseeds.it
www.cacseeds.it